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Namco × Capcom
|image= Namco_capcom_cover.png |imagewidth= 160px |caption= Japanese Cover Art |Developer= Monolith Soft |Publisher= Namco |Release Dates= May 26, 2005 }} Namco × Capcom ( , pronounced Namco cross Capcom) is an action/tactical RPG released for the PlayStation 2 in 2005, exclusively in Japan. As its name implies, the game is a massive crossover between franchises from both Namco and Capcom. The game is an hybrid of tactical and action role-playing. The player has a set number of characters or "units" during each chapter, which can be moved to attack or use items/character-specific skills in a square grid or field map. Once the player enters battle, the game switches to a side-view perspective similar to a 2D fighting game: here the player must input several moves (consisting of a button and a direction) in order to combo the enemy character. There are a limited number of actions or "Branches" to use, but the player can gain more of them, as well as bonuses and experience points, by extending Aerial Chains (hitting the enemy mid-air). Each character also has a more powerful Special Attack, which can be done after filling out the Special Gauge, and some unit combinations have access to a Multiple Assault, a combined cinematic attack done on the field map. Story The game centers around two original characters: Reiji Arisu and Xiaomu, agents of a secret organization known as "Shinra", who deals with supernatural occurrences. Before the game's story, Shinra stopped a plan from the "Ouma" organization to create "fluctuations" to open up portals between worlds, albeit at the cost of Reiji's father life. Ten years later, Reiji and Xiaomu are investigating new fluctuations happening in Shibuya, Tokyo; and soon discover that characters and locations from different worlds and times are converging together, and "Ouma" agent Saya, related to the death of Reiji's father, is involved. The game consists of 50 chapters (5 Prologues and 45 numbered chapters), and has a cast of 200+ characters selected from several Namco and Capcom franchises, separated in different home worlds: * "Material World" ( ): The central world in the game, based off real-life Earth but set in the year 20XX. Characters from Bravoman, Dino Crisis, Final Fight, Resident Evil: Dead Aim, Rival Schools, Street Fighter, Tekken and Wonder Momo originate here. * "Distant Future" ( ): The highly advanced future of the Material World. Characters from Baraduke, Burning Force, Captain Commando, Dig Dug, Forgotten Worlds, Mega Man Legends, Strider and Xenosaga originate here. * "Illusion World" ( ): A world set around medievial-styled fantasy and magic. Characters from Klonoa, Tales of Destiny, The Tower of Druaga and Valkyrie originate here. * "Spiritual World" ( ): A world similar to the Material World's past. Characters from Genpei Tōma Den and the Soul series originate here. * "Demon World" ( ): Otherwise known as the "Makai", the Hell-like world inhabited by demons. Characters from Darkstalkers, Ghosts 'n Goblins and Shadow Land originate here. Strider Representation Characters Stages Two stages from the series appear during the course of the game: The Third Moon and Flying Battleship Balrog. While their exterior appearance is taken from the original game, their interior areas are closer in look to their Strider 2 incarnations. Some of these areas also feature elements from other game series. Other Notes and References * Hiryu's moveset is mostly taken from Marvel vs. Capcom, using three of his special moves (Gram, Vajra and Ragnarok) and two of his basic attacks (crouching and jumping HK). He also has the Boost and Savage Slash techniques from Strider 2. ** When using Gram, Hiryu performs a standing then a crouching slash. Both versions are separate techniques in the first two Marvel vs. Capcom games. ** During Hiryu's Special Attack, Ragnarok, the same Hyper Combo background effect from Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is used. This trait is shared with Tron Bonne's Special and Captain Commando's Multiple Assaults. ** Also, much like Marvel vs. Capcom, Hiryu's individual theme is a remix of the intro fanfare and theme from Strider, "Defense Line - Raid!". * While missing as actual techniques, Hiryu's signature "Sliding Kick" and his Marvel vs. Capcom series "Legion" Hyper Combo both appear as names for two of his Skills. * Tong Pooh is mostly inspired in her Strider 2 self, and uses attacks from her boss fight: her signature Flying Back Kick is her basic attack, while her Special is the "Somersault Kick", the first shared attack used by the two surviving sisters after one is taken down. * The "Nam/Nang Pooh" clones seen as grunt units are inspired in the second Kuniang fight from the first Strider. * Hien's design is the one seen in artwork and cutscenes in Strider 2, different from his sprite which was a simple head and palette swap of Hiryu's. Outside of his Special Attack and evasion move (Vajra), all his techniques are based on moves from his boss fight. * Solo is designed entirely after his original Strider self, and borrows the corresponding attacks (missiles and giant laser beam) from there. ** Solo's evasion move has him flying away from an enemy's attack. This is based on his behavior in the original game, where he'd instantly fly away when attacked while in mid-flight. ** As a result of his design, the "Solo Mass Produced Model" from Strider 2 was slightly retouched to resemble Solo's original look. * Grandmaster Meio's design is based on his original appearance. The lower half of his face is covered in bandages as a nod to Strider 2, where his face appears fully bandaged. ** Meio uses his Summoning ability from the first Strider, attacking with the same three lifeforms (piranha, wolf and Pteranodon) he uses in the Arcade game. His evasion move, on the other hand, is the Teleport from Strider 2. * Several references to the entire series can be spotted during the game: ** In Chapter 19, Meio and Solo have a reprise of their dialogue from the Stage 2 cutscene in the first Strider, only changing Eurasia for the Third Moon. ** After being defeated in Chapter 20, Tong Pooh mentions how Grandmaster Meio has enough power that he has the "entire world in his palm". Similar lines are spoken by Captain Beard Jr. in the first game and by Tong Pooh herself in the second. ** Solo usually announces his presence by saying "Target confirmed", which is the same line he speaks before his first boss fight in Strider 2. ** Chapter 22 includes several such references: Hiryu opens the chapter up by requesting to be "taken to their boss", just like in the first Strider. Hiryu and Hien later have the same conversation from the epilogue of Mission 00 in Strider 2, and Hiryu at one point calls him a "servant of your masters"/"whipped dog" just like he does to Tong Pooh at the end of Mission 01. ** During Solo's introduction in Chapter 22, one of his dialogue art puts him in the exact same "guns ready" pose seen in his Strider portrait. ** Grandmaster Meio uses his well-known "Sons of Old Gods" speech from Strider during his introduction in Chapter 44. ** Sometimes when attacking, Meio will say the enemy shall behold "the power of science". This is a reference to the first game's backstory, where Meio is said to have gained his life-creation powers through the extensive research of ancient lifeforms. ** Hiryu and Meio's last exchange during Chapter 44 is actually borrowed from the original manga, when Hiryu confronts Faceas Clay in Chapter 6. The dialogue is slightly edited to fit the different setting: for example, while in the original Hiryu talks about all the innocent deaths (Sheena and his sister included) Clay is responsible for, the game replaces it with all the planets and lives Meio has claimed. * Two chapters titles are references to the series: ** Chapter 22 is titled "He Who Runs Across Fields" ( ), the official meaning of the word "Strider" according to both the manga and source material for the first game. ** Chapter 44 is titled after Hiryu's line from the Arcade game: "Are you sending a toy into battle?"/"You don't need a toy like that" ( ). * Items found in the two Strider-themed stages are found inside Item Boxes from the first game, and breaking them reveals the item in the shape of the "Hiryu" kanji item pick-up as seen in Strider 2. * According to a Japanese websitePS2 Save Data Analysis Results - Namco x Capcom (Japanese). Retrieved 05 October 2013, there's leftover code within the game which indicates that Bei Pooh and Sai Pooh, the missing members of the Kuniang team, were at one point planned to appear as enemies. Gallery Namco X Capcom - Strider Hiryu.jpg|Official art Nxc_hiryu_masked.png|Portrait art - Hiryu Nxc_hiryu_crossed_arms.png Nxc_hiryu_special.png|Ragnarok SA art Nxc_hien_face.png|Portrait art - Hien Nxc_hien_special.png Nxc_tonpooh_face.png|Portrait art - Ton Pooh Nxc_tonpooh_special.png Nxc_nampooh_special.png|Nam Pooh Nxc_solo_face.png|Portrait art - Solo Nxc_solo_special.png Nxc_solo_special2.png Nxc_grandmaster_face.png|Portrait art - Grandmaster Meio Nxc_antigrav_art.png|Title Card - Anti-grav Corridor Nxc_entrance_art.png|Title Card - Entrance Nxc_controlcenter_art.png|Title Card - Unified Earth Control Section Nxc_balrog_art.png|Title Card - Battleship Balrog's Deck Nxc_gravitydevice_art.png|Title Card - Anti-Gravity Device External Links * Official Site (Japanese) * Namco × Capcom Dialog Translation by Mark Neidengard (GameFAQS) References Category:Games Category:Crossovers